"symplastless" wrote in message
. ..

Dace

Good question!


"Dave" wrote in message
ink.net...
Know some arborists read these groups, so, thought would ask questions
here.

snip
The cedars (juniper-ashe) look okay, but aren't doing all the
proliferation. They, of course, compete with the live oaks in the hill
country.

I see some landowners choose to remove all the cedars on their property.
Leaving just the live and red oaks as the major tree population. Some
live oaks actually grew sideways close to the ground to get to the
sunlight while competing with the cedars for same. I can see removing
such around buildings and roads as these are a potential fire hazard.
Is
this cedar genocide healthy for the hill country ecosystem?

Dave


I am not sure I understand the question. If you are asking if eradicating
a
species is good, it is not. In my view of an ecosystem.

Endangered Species in the Texas Hill Country
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwate...gered_species/

"The golden-cheeked warbler depends on stands of mature Ashe juniper
(blueberry cedar) mixed with deciduous trees including Lacey oak, Spanish
oak, shin oak, post oak, cedar elm, and escarpment black cherry.

Mature Ashe juniper is a major factor resulting in decreased water supply
to the Edwards Aquifer. Two other endangered species depend on an adequate
supply of water. The San Marcos salamander is threatened by reduced spring
flow, and the Texas blind salamander depends on a constant supply of clean
water from the Edwards Aquifer. Research indicates that removal of Ashe
juniper results in a tremendous increase in groundwater. One such study
reported an increase of 100,000 gal/acre/year with 100% cedar removal.

In the absence of fire (for the past 100+ years), Ashe juniper has
encroached on the upland sites, forming dense woodlands containing only
cedar, bare soil, and rock. In addition to other obvious ecological concerns
(e.g., soil erosion), dense stands of cedar (also known as cedar brakes)
have played a major role in the depletion of the Edwards Aquifer.
Furthermore, cedar brakes do not provide suitable habitat for golden-cheeked
warblers, as the deciduous tree component is absent and overall plant
diversity is nil.

The expansion of Ashe juniper has had a tremendous impact on the
ecosystem, causing a decrease in plant species diversity and an increase in
soil erosion.